TECH TOLL ON YOUNG

University of Wisconsin behavourial scientist Chris Segrin says that technology, for all its benefits, may be taking a serious toll on social skills, especially in young people. “The use of technology – texting, in particular – is probably one of the biggest impediments for developing social skills in young people today,” he said. “Everything is so condensed and parsed out in soundbites, and that’s not the way that human beings for thousands of years have communicated. It makes young people more timid when they’re face-to-face with others, and they’re not sure what to say and what to do. There’s no social interaction, and I fear that’s really hurting young people.”